Relationship and networking strategy tools: characterizing the IMP toolbox

IMP Journal ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Cheng ◽  
Elsebeth Holmen

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to systematically review the relationship and networking strategy tools in the IMP literature. It proposes six dimensions for characterizing such tools: approach to tool development, level (and layer) of analysis, perspective of interaction, activities of network strategizing, external or internal orientation and use for “strategizing on” vs “strategizing in” relationships and networks. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses a manual qualitative content analysis approach and an inductive approach, well suited for extracting relationship and networking strategy tools due to their implicit and dispersed nature. Findings – The paper presents an IMP toolbox comprising a wide variety of relationship and networking strategy tools emphasizing interconnectedness, interdependence and limited managerial autonomy, as well as an analysis of how identified tools are positioned along each of the six proposed dimensions. Research limitations/implications – This paper contributes a conceptual framework with a vocabulary to content analyze and discuss relationship and networking strategy tools in IMP research. Practical implications – The IMP toolbox may be a useful point of departure for managers who feel a need for developing and using a mix of tools for strategizing in business relationships and networks. Originality/value – The paper instills a strategy tool lens in the IMP literature and foregrounds strategizing concepts and techniques that were previously difficult to attend to for both researchers and practitioners.

2019 ◽  
Vol 122 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-447
Author(s):  
Flávio Henrique De Oliveira Costa ◽  
Andrea Lago Da Silva ◽  
Carla Roberta Pereira ◽  
Susana Carla Farias Pereira ◽  
Fernando José Gómez Paredes

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify how the relationship between inbound logistics (IL) activities and elements of resilience (EoR) can contribute to organisational resilience. Design/methodology/approach Two in-depth case-based studies were conducted in the dairy industry. After identifying EoR and IL activities through a systematic literature review, relationships among them have been empirically discussed in six groups (emerged content analysis results): supplier and response capability; transportation; security; quick response to disruption; logistics management; trust and knowledge. Findings A framework was developed describing the contribution of these six groups to organisational resilience by highlighting and discussing three aspects: rigidity of the hierarchy, type of relationship and geographical dispersion. These aspects emerged from the process of content analysis and are related to the companies’ characteristics. Practical implications The proposed framework can assist managers to decide which group of EoR and IL activities they should prioritise, depending on the company’s characteristics and needs. Originality/value Although some studies have discussed the IL contribution to generating resilience in companies, none of them have explored in detail the relationship between EoR and IL activities, and their contribution to organisational resilience. The proposed framework shows the contribution of the EoR to three different organisational aspects.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabian Maximilian Johannes Teichmann

Purpose This purpose of this paper is to illustrate how terrorists finance their activities through cryptocurrencies. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative content analysis of 30 semi-standardized expert interviews with both illegal financial service providers and prevention experts developed understanding of the concrete techniques of financing terrorism through cryptocurrencies. Findings Terrorists could use Bitcoin to receive donations from their supporters. Research limitations/implications As the findings are based on semi-standardized interviews, they are limited to the perspectives of the 30 interviewees. Practical implications The identification of gaps in current prevention mechanisms is intended to provide legislators and intelligence agencies with insights into the operations of terrorism financers. Originality/value While the existing literature focuses simply on identifying areas that could play a role in financing terrorism, this paper describes concrete methods, taking both prevention and criminal perspectives into account.


2015 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 338-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiyot B. Tehone ◽  
Hangjung Zo ◽  
Andrew P. Ciganek

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a conceptual framework to describe the continual usage of social computing systems from an experiential perspective. Design/methodology/approach – A conceptual framework is developed using theories formulated from a variety of disciplines including information system (IS) continuance, relationship formation, human-computer interaction, and motivation theory. Findings – The conceptual framework encompasses the relationship and experiential perspective of user-computer interactions. The framework also identifies factors that contribute to the continual usage of social computing by users and how these factors are related with system features. Research limitations/implications – This study does not include an empirical analysis to validate the conceptual framework proposed in this study. Future research is encouraged to examine the ten propositions from the proposed conceptual framework. Practical implications – The conceptual framework takes a different approach which is well suited for examining the continual usage of social computing applications (SCAs). Originality/value – Previous research investigating factors that contribute to the continual usage of social computing often examined using static and utilitarian-based models. The conceptual framework in this study provides a different perspective for explaining why people use SCAs.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 498-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Aldogan Eklund ◽  
Miralem Helmefalk

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework of visual-tactile interplay and consumer responses in brand, product and servicescape contexts. Design/methodology/approach This paper performs a literature review of visual-tactile interplay by reviewing prior research in marketing and psychology. Findings The review reveals that visual-tactile interplay provokes various consumer responses depending on whether brands, products or servicescapes are used. The paper develops a comprehensive conceptual framework mapping out visual-tactile interplay and the relationship with consumers’ cognition, emotions and behaviors. Research limitations/implications A conceptual model was developed with a novel view on how visual and tactile cues can together influence consumer responses. Practical implications This paper shows how visual-tactile interplay is successful in brand, product and servicescape contexts and provides practical insight for firms into how to provoke consumers’ cognitive, emotional and behavioral responses. Originality/value This paper contributes to existing literature by developing a conceptual framework and model of visual-tactile interplay and consumer responses by drawing on research in marketing and psychology.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Farmaki ◽  
Elena Spanou ◽  
Prokopis Christou

Purpose Following Airbnb’s recent turn to the luxury market, this paper aims to explore how Airbnb hosts construct meanings of luxury as enacted in their hosting practices. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews with 46 Airbnb hosts were undertaken using purposing sampling. Findings Study findings reveal that social and personal meanings of luxury manifest in host practice, with “home feeling” representing the epicentre of the luxury peer-to-peer (P2P) accommodation experience. Research limitations/implications Although this study draws from host views, it represents a first attempt to empirically examine perceptions and applications of luxury within P2P accommodation. The study provides a conceptual framework which may serve as a point of departure for further research into which luxury service dimensions guests value. Practical implications The findings of the study carry implications to the wider hospitality context. Specifically, hospitality practitioners need to reconceptualize luxury hospitality provision to promote a “homotel” accommodation model which highlights the offering of physical and social luxury dimensions in addition to elements of personalized service and home-like hedonic benefits. Originality/value The study offers a conceptual framework of the luxury P2P accommodation servicescape, which identifies two distinct luxury offerings that may be informative to both P2P accommodation providers and hospitality practitioners.


Author(s):  
Peyman Akhavan ◽  
Mohammad Reza Zahedi ◽  
Seyed Hosein Hosein

Purpose – The purposes of this study are to identify, classify and prioritize knowledge management (KM) barriers in an Iranian project-based organization (PBO) and to present a conceptual framework for improving attitudes to KM in the Iranian context. Design/methodology/approach – After studying previous literature on the topic, initial barriers of KM in PBOs were extracted. Then, a list of barriers of KM in the aforementioned organizations was finalized by interviewing experts in KM. After that, the barriers were prioritized using a questionnaire. Finally, a conceptual framework for successfully tackling KM barriers was presented. Findings – In this article, barriers of KM in PBOs have been divided into five categories: individual, organizational, technological, contextual, and inter-project. Then a three-layered conceptual framework has been presented which describes how the barriers of KM in PBOs may be removed progressively. Practical implications – The prepared and prioritized list of barriers of KM in PBOs is a stepping stone and a guideline for managers in PBOs which will enable them to identify barriers of KM in their own organizations and resolve them and improve KM in their organizations. It also serves as a useful base for researchers to expand further research concerning barriers of KM in PBOs. Originality/value – This article is probably the first article which has identified barriers of KM via interviews and questionnaires carried out in 50 active PBOs which had a KM section. The article also presents a three-layered framework for lowering barriers of KM, which can be applied step by step after considering the level of importance of each one identified.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (12) ◽  
pp. 1178-1193
Author(s):  
Tony Burns

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between Amartya Sen’s notion of adaptation and his views on identity politics by focussing on the issue of slavery and, more specifically, on the example of the happy or contented slave. Design/methodology/approach The paper is text based. The methodological approach adopted is that of conceptual analysis, as is typical for work of this kind. Findings The paper concludes that the example of the happy or contented slave is indeed a fruitful one for those interested in exploring the relationship between Sen’s views on “the adaptation problem” and his views on identity politics, especially in relation to the subjection of women. Here Sen’s debt to the ideas of Mary Wollstonecraft and John Stuart Mill is particularly important. Research limitations/implications One implication of the argument of the paper is that there is a need to consider more carefully the differences that exist between the views of Wollstonecraft and Mill, so far as the example of the happy or contented slave is concerned. Practical implications One practical implication of the paper is that, hopefully, it establishes the continued relevance of the ideas of thinkers such as Wollstonecraft and Mill today, not least because of the influence that they have had on theoreticians such as Amartya Sen. Social implications The paper addresses issues which are of considerable social and political significance, especially for women in underdeveloped societies today. Originality/value The example of the happy or contented slave has not received much discussion in the literature on Sen, although Sen himself has suggested that the distinction between happiness and contentment is an important one, which does merit further discussion.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xingyu Wen ◽  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Mincheol Whang ◽  
Kaixuan Liu

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to discuss the relationship between bra's visual impression and bra parts, and then to explore the application of visual impression in bra design.Design/methodology/approachFirstly, 82 female undergraduates are asked to answered this questionnaire online, which is about the importance of parts in bra design. In the part of data analysis, the method of principal part analysis (PCA) are used to get the relationship between bra's parts, and reduce dimension of factors that influence bra design. After that, those group of features are further discussed from the perspective of visual design. Finally, design an application based on conclusion.FindingsTo get the influence features of bra appearance and improve the visual design effect, this paper matches the bra parts with visual features (color, texture, shape and space) and presents four main features of bra design: “color,” “visual texture,” “design shape” and “spatial expression” together with corresponding bra parts and technique of expression. Moreover, user interface in bra cloud customization is designed.Practical implicationsThe conclusion, which shows the corresponding relationship between bra visual effect and its basic parts, has an important role in bra visual design. First, it can be useful for design idea with different technique of expression, which may supply a theoretical basis for design. Secondly, the combination of bra parts and visual features can be used to evaluate the appearance.Originality/valueDiscussing the bra visual impression based on bra's basic parts and visual features provides a theoretical method for bra design and its appearance evaluation.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Natália Peroni Pellin ◽  
Alex Weymer ◽  
Leila Andressa Dissenha ◽  
Márcio André Leal Bauer

PurposeThe aim of this article was to analyze how the presence of the elements that constitute organizational links are related to sensemaking in a cooperative system of medical work.Design/methodology/approachA content analysis was conducted following interviews with the managers of the cooperative, which is a member of the Brazilian cooperative system and one of the largest in the world. This analysis enabled the systematization of the categories that were identified through the coding of responses, aided by Atlas.ti 8.0 software.FindingsAfter the analysis, it was possible to resize the constitutive elements identified in the specialized literature into three categories: identification, cooperation and recognition. The proposed resizing does not preclude the presence of the constitutive elements identified in the analysis, but it evidences the presence of these elements in a contextualized manner, suggesting a model of an organic organizational link that is dependent on the relationship between subject–object (organization), in which the different perceptions of meanings affect identification, and this can strengthen or weaken the link in a constant process of resignification.Originality/valueWith regard to its theoretical relevance, the work helps to bring concepts related to organizational links and sensemaking closer together as a process in the realm of intersubjectivity. This provides evidence of the presence of constituent elements of ties in a contextualized manner, demonstrating that the interpretation of managers aids sensemaking in a process of circularity and resignification.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 152-164 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loïc Plé

Purpose Noting that resource integration is a pivotal dimension of value co-creation in Service-Dominant logic, this paper aims to explore how service employees engaged in co-creation processes with customers integrate the latter’s resources. Design/methodology/approach To address the limitations of previous research on customer resources and their integration by service employees, this study turns to the concept of customer participation to identify the nature of customers’ resources. A conceptual framework of their integration by service employees underpins nine key propositions. This foundation leads to the development of theoretical contributions, managerial implications and avenues for research. Findings Customers can use 12 types of resources in value co-creation. Contrasting with earlier findings, the conceptual framework reveals that service employees may not only integrate these customers’ resources but also either misintegrate or not integrate them. Non-integration and misintegration may be intentional or accidental. Accordingly, value co-creation or co-destruction may result from interactions. Research limitations/implications This conceptual and exploratory text requires complementary theoretical and empirical investigations. It also does not adopt an ecosystems view of co-creation. Practical implications Knowing the different steps of resource integration and what influences them should increase the chances of value co-creation and limit the risks of value co-destruction. Originality/value Scant research has examined the nature of customer resources and how service employees integrate them. This paper also is the first to distinguish among resource integration, misintegration and non-integration.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document